Historic Clothing Encounters

We didn’t expect to find this lifestyle shop called “Brocante Place De La Bastille” (brocante: second hand goods in French) selling antique and vintage clothing from the 18th century Europe opened in the busiest commercial district of Hong Kong after having dined at the Italian fashion restaurant, Armani Ristorante/Bar to where Gwen always wanted to pay a visit in Asia on last Tuesday. We all agreed that it must be Gwen’s spirit which led us there. Gwen had always been a fashion/museum lover and a seeker of knowledge who indulged in fashion, history and culture especially those of the Medieval Europe to the Napoleonic Era. Her research interests lay in Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), the infamous last Queen of France and Empress Josephine Bonaparte (1763-1814) as the iconic trendsetters (pls refer to our related facebook fan page albums).

The shop is nostalgically furnished in a rustic and old-fashioned style. We were thrilled to see the Marie Antoinette styled shoes, the 18th century panniers and balloon-sleeved peasant blouses which are not very popular in Asia at the shop front display. Do make a trip to “Brocante Place” the next time when you’re in town in memory of our blogger, Gwen Vikkey Miao.